CNN

You reap what you sew...... Unfortunately a few bad apples have not only created stereotypes for other races, but have created horrible stereotypes for themselves. Go ahead complain and act like you didn't know this was coming. The demonizing of viewpoints of those who have seen stereotypical behavior affect families in a very negative way is like shooting an abused animal for its temper. It's a way around accountability. I understand how you can claim you have nothing to do with the history. If you do nothing, you are part of the problem.

There is no doubt in my mind that Scalia's Catholic upbringing does influence his beliefs about what is right and what is wrong, what is fair and what is unfair, and what is just and what is unjust. Upbringing strongly influences those kinds of beliefs in all of us. Thats why having diversity on the court is so important.

From the audio I heard .. It appears that Sotomayor would allow her empathy to cloud her judgment and severely impact her judicial responsibilities.

Granted .. our experiences do tend to color our responses and judgments ... but I believe most rational people are able to prevent them from adversely clouding their judgments.

Yes, it is a VERY fine line to walk ... but if Judge Sotomayor CANNOT keep her empathy from clouding her decisions ... then she has no business on SCOTUS.

It is just THAT simple.

From the audio I heard .. It appears that Sotomayor would allow her empathy to cloud her judgment and severely impact her judicial responsibilities.

Granted .. our experiences do tend to color our responses and judgments ... but I believe most rational people are able to prevent them from adversely coloring their judgments.

Yes, it is a VERY fine line to walk ... but if Judge Sotomayor CANNOT keep her empathy from clouding her decisions ... then she has no business on SCOTUS.

It is just THAT simple.

I can think of 3 or 4 other words that are not dirty either, but when put together add up to most of the court

White Male Catholic

"up-by-the-bootstraps life story"

I'm sorry, when did being nominated to the highest court in this nation become a match of high hurdles?

She had a tough life? Yeah, me too. Big deal. Does that mean I'm qualified to sit on the SCOTUS? Not hardly.

But my rich experiences as a white man enable me to reach better conclusions than others... yep, sounds equally as racist when I say it, too.

I'm sorry, but when we've come to the place in this nation when wielding identity politics like a cudgel against anyone with whom you disagree, then the very vetting process mandated by the constitution for SCOTUS vacancies is severely damaged.

Compasionate Conservatives have a problem with "empathy" go figure...

It's time the republicans get treated for their crainial sphincteritis.

Empathy is an issue if a judge doesn't uphold the law just because they feel sorry for someone. It is odd that so many people don't think that white males can have empathy and that you have to be the same color and gender to have empathy for someone. Even Ginsburg said it, but you don't hear her called a bigot.

Empathy is not a dirty word but apperantly racist is when directed at a non-"white male". Do I think she is rascist, well not fully but Ive seen people ripped to shreds by politicians or the media for much less.

The issue is not what she was inferring but what she said. Reading the full transcript provides context but doesnt change that she said a latina womens experiences make her a better judge than a white male.

If she had said the courts would be better to have a wide range of views including those of the financially disadvantaged and women and that was the danger of having our courts unfairly dominated by white men then she would be ok. Or she could have said a latina woman with her richness of experience would come to a better decision than somone without that experience. But she doesn't, she singles out one ethnic group.

Unfortunately if you think her remark is not racist just reverse the white male and latina woman in the sentence.

Great article in the LA Times about the "empathy" of Earl Warren when he was chief justice and his court.
A number of decisions of the civil rights era included "empathetic" principles in order to right wrongs. That court (and for the right wingers, Warren was a Republican) made a number of decisions that changed this country.
One would not want empathy to be the overriding trait of a justice but dealing with humanity demands some shred of it.

Excellent article putting out arguments to the Republican "concerns." It underscores not only how hypocritical they are but also reinforces their obstructionist tactics. They are actually attacking her for the very same statements made by conservative Supremes. Does that stop them? Of course not! Thank you for bringing this to light.

"Empathy" is very much a dirty word if it's used as an excuse for judicial prejudice–and that's exactly what Sonia Sotomayor endorses. Her view that the ethnicity and sex of a judge "may and will make a difference in our judging"–those are exactly her words–is highly prejudicial to those of the "wrong" ethnicity and sex.

Every Conservative, especially those social conservatives who attend church should know and concede readily that the one Judge they know to be absolutely just and not show favoritism is also the one who is the most empatethic. He calls Himself "a father to the orphan and the defender of widows," of those who are desititue and vulnerable. How is it then that "emphathy" and "justice" became so mutually exclusive? Be honest people. After all people of faith detest double standards and Hypocrisy! Don't we?

Many of you are forgetting the many decades of suppressed viewpoints by those who have been mistreated, by American Capitalism. I'm not advocating an anti Capitalistic interpretation of my statement. I am merely making it clear that a lack of empathy in our judicial system is an easy way to eliminate any accountability for dehumanizing an entire region of people by valuing the profits over the well being of Latin Americans. I view this as fairly hypocritical. I would agree that her statement may seem bitter and racist to some. I do believe those crying racism are possibly racist themselves. You may be projecting your own bitterness in the debate. I personally feel that her viewpoint is very different than the stereotypical white male who hasn't lived that life. I for one, am a Caucasian male who has seen how these viewpoints are formed living in poverty. Thus I can respect her viewpoint. Let's not forget which ideologies created modern day stereotypes. You can't disregard something unless you have not experienced it. Think about the circumstances surrounding her statement. Have you been in her shoes? Have you been mistreated as many Latin Americans have? Have you been forced to go around the law to feed your family. If you have than you too have been infected by the propaganda. It's a two way street. You reap what you sew. Open your eyes and you will see. lol

It's only a dirty word to the "Double-Standard" Republicans.

Great Job, Gloria!

@ P.Y.

I agree with you as well

The role of a supreme court justice is to follow the letter of the Constitution. That is all. Nowhere does empathy play a part. Empathy is not a right given to the Federal Government by the Constitution, therefore, empathy belongs to the states' rights. 'Nuff Said!

If Republicans don't understand the meaning of a word, they automatically deem it wrong, dirty or not worth their effort! What a bunch of losers! Of course they don't want anyone on the high court that understands the problems of ordinary people because they DON'T CARE ABOUT THE ORDINARY PERSON! Anyone showing empathy is considered weak, and the Republicans only respond to someone who shares their beliefs. Human needs and frailities aren't in their dictionary of important words. They are a very arrogant and self-absorbed group of people, and I'm proud to be Democrat who cares about other people!

Screw you CNN and the rest of the mainstream media .... for continually propagating the crap that comes out of mouths of those howler monkeys on Fox News & Talk Radio. You've taken a fine word to describe a great personal trait and made it into another quasi-taboo political term of denigration .... just like you did with the term "Liberal" ...

As a white male, I think I can empathize better than other races (I'm certainly asked to do it more often). So I think we can give a Latino woman the chance to show that she can empathise as well as the white people.

Now, is that racist? If you think so, just change the words and you get what Sodamayor said.

'Empathy' is a dirty word to any conservative as long as a Democrat says it. Just like Sotomayor's 'ethnic' comment is not alright unless a Republican says it (like Justice Alito). GIVE ME A BREAK, REPUGS.

Who in their right mind would think 'empathy' is a dirty word? Is the GOP so lacking for un-used attacks on an Obama decision that they're trying to persuade their low-info supporters by using a 'big', mysterious word like 'empathy' to hold some sort of power over them?

Do conservatives really think that the crack GOP 'leadership' is the best they can do? Talk about selling themselves short..

@Sniffit–The real one

I agree with you 100%

BTW- When someone has to take someone's else's name on a blog it shows what kind of an idiot they are. Most people on here are smart enough to figure out who is the fake and who is real. We also have a lot of fools on here that blog many times under many different names. They would like people to believe that many others think the same way they do. NOT!

I want LEGISLATORS with empathy and compassion and JUDGES who are dispassionate. The interpretation of law should be about matters of fact. Not pathos.

And Obama is no worse by using empathy as a criteria than any other President in the past who has done the same thing.

Sorry if that doesn't fit in anyone's "Democan or Republicrat" box.

Claudia in Houson May 28th, 2009 4:30 pm ET
FYI: Geoge H.W. Bush used the word empathy to describe Justice Clarence Thomas for his nomination. REPUBLICANS READ YOUR OWN HISTORY.
--------------------------------
You’re absolutely correct .

George H.W. Bush, July 1991, on the occasion of his nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court:

"I have followed this man's career for some time, he is a delightful and warm, intelligent person who has great empathy and a wonderful sense of humor."

Glad to hear someone say it. The angry Republicans need someone to slap them upside the back of the head for the behavior they keep displaying. They just seem to constantly want to fight. Its incredibly childish.

Maybe we should appoint robots to the Supreme Court, strictly logical, rational rulings, no human feelings or emotion – would that make you Republicans happy? Then again, maybe not, since you aren't logical or rational. You think Scalia doesn't let his personal feelings influence his decisions?

I am sure it is annoying the crap out of you because Obama hasn't "failed" yet. Blimpbag must be ready to burst a blood vessel!

This president would not know empathy if it was written on a shoe and hit him in the face. He too had an unusual upbringing, but just like Clarence Thomas, he will not use his clout to reach out to the less fortunate or erase Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing. He is a politicians politician. He will not do anything empathetic until he has been elected to his second term – IF he does it then. It's all about HIS career and HIS goals. Once those have been played out then empathy may rear it's head.

@Snippet: Did Obama have empathy when he forced to close GOP-donor owned PROFITABLE Chrysler dealers while leaving DEM-donor owned UNPROFITABLE dealers open?

I think not.

Game. Set. Match

Snippet, even FOX News who we know is blantantly bias said they investigated and there are no facts to back up this claim. Maybe you should investigate your facts a little better.

FYI: Geoge H.W. Bush used the word empathy to describe Justice Clarence Thomas for his nomination. REPUBLICANS READ YOUR OWN HISTORY.

No difference in Scalia's opinions if he were raised other than Catholic? Baloney. If he'd been raised an agnostic, a Buddhist, or a Hindu his opinions on life and the law and humanity would be different. If he truly doesn't realize that people are formed by their upbringing and their environment he is a fool.

We are all products of our life history and whether we are interpreting a religious text, a poem or the law the perspective from which see things is dependent on that history.

@ Darla (Edmonton Canada) ........ True! Somehow we have been slowly, and painfully losing empathy in our Nation. It started with the reign of Bush. The GOP do not have a record of compassion.

Example, Bush vetoed the SCHIP Bill last year, that would have provided healthcare for 7 million children. How can a man who claims to be "pro-life" lack compassion?

It's a shame that even cnn insists on parsing Ms. Sotomayors statement she made at a symposium in 2001 – if they were to post the complete statement, it would instantaneously debunk the ridiculous "racist" comments. Do your research folks, read her statement – the full statement in context.

Empathy is a good thing – it shapes all of us and the decisions and choices we make. Leave it to the gop to consider it a bad thing.

Other justices have spoken on empathy – why is it so wrong now?

Hey dominican,

I don't know how this came to be a bad thing and a pejorative term, but the right wing has made it one. At some point, the far-right believed that empathy has become a dirty word, supposed code for "judicial activism" and "social engineering".

Since you asked:

Charles Krauthammer called empathy “the opposite of justice” and said that it “overturns the idea of Martin Luther King” that people should be judged by their character.

On the Glenn Beck Paranoia Hour recently he said that “empathy leads you to very bad decisions” and cited a decision by Adolf Hitler as proof of the evils of empathy.

Wow, it is amazing how angry people can get even when the topic is EMPATHY. I would hope we would all want judges, school teachers, doctors, car mechanics, police officers, parents, etc...with empathy. There is nothing wrong with empathy.

Thank you for including examples of how Ginsburg and Alito's personal histories affect their work as a judge. None of us can completely separate who we are from the work we do. It just can't be the only influence on our work. I believe Ginsburg, Alito, Sotomayor and all the other supreme court justices can effectively decide cases brought to them using their own life experiences and the written law. This is why diversity on the court is a necessity.

They tout their "Christian values," and they think "empathy" is a dirty
word. Having compassion for people, especially the disadvantaged,
the poor, the sick, the old, children. This is the crowd that cuts off
aid to the poor, the sick, the old, the disadvantaged – the very
opposite of what the bible teaches them. It is astounding that
anything to do with helping people, having compassion is attacked
by this crowd. That's what their savior was all about – it defined
what he was all about...

Empathy is not something Supreme Court judges should worry about. That is the job of the Representatives in Congress. Supreme Court justices are suppose to be neutral to all outside variables that do not pertain to the cases in front of them, and then their job is to rule based on the legality of the argument. Empathy is not a part of that equation.

Finally someone who can explain the definition AND tie it back to a conservative judge. If any person says they do not view situations (legal or not) in the context of their own life experience, they are just flat out lying.

@Sniffit,

I've noticed the same comment on several stories about the closing of Chrysler car dealerships (ignoring financial status to reward political affiliation/donations). Perhaps you should find a reputable, truthful, and indisputable News article covering this injustice and digg it. You'll get more exposure that way.

Empathy is not a dirty word. Boy oh boy, some Republicans are so out of touch. Wake up people, this is 2009. You're not the only ones living in America. Immigrants are people too.

Leave it to the GOP to say that empathy is a dirty word! And these are the same people who quote the bible left and right. What a bunch of hypocrites! Of course we would want ANY judge to have empathy! EVERY judge uses their common sense and, yes, empathy, when ruling on a case. God help us if they don't!

@ Sniffit (The Real One)

I agree with you 100%

@ Sniffit, who said "Did Obama have empathy when he forced to close GOP-donor owned PROFITABLE Chrysler dealers while leaving DEM-donor owned UNPROFITABLE dealers open?

I think not.

Game. Set. Match."

Not unless you have PROOF. See, there are these things called FACTS and EVIDENCE and you're supposed to use them to inform your perception of REALITY when arguing that you've landed on the correct perception. Going around fabricating conspiracies and wrongdoing is only going to get you labeled as either slightly retarded or perhaps bipolar...certainly delusional.

@ fake Sniffit

That's because it was an oxymoron, moron.

Republicans will make any word a 'dirty word' when it fits their agenda......There's a video clip showing FP Bush 41 introducing his 'nominee,' Clarence Thomas, as one having "empathy."

Republicans are salivating because there's an intelligent black man in the White House, who is whipping their butts and not playing their games......Chess vs. Checkers is like apples vs. onions, is like winning vs. losing......

JM

The word "empathy" has been used before, by President George H. Bush when he nominated Clarence Thomas! How soon people forget. And yes, the conservatives were absolutely fine with "empathy" when talking about Justice Thomas.

I would much rather have empathy, experience, ethnicity as a deciding factor in the law than Religion anytime.

If each of us lived our lives with empathy ... imagine how much kinder society and the world would be ... the postings on the CNN Ticker would definitely have a different tone!

I'd be willing to bet you if the situation were reversed and it was a Republican President who said that about "empathy" then the Republicans and the Conservatives would be okay with it.

Who said 'empathy' is a dirty word? and why would you listen to the idiot that would?!

Empathy is not a "dirty" word, but it's a word that needs to be applied when determing important things that have real effects on everyday people.